Alta Vista pair rallies, rules Sta. Lucia Tour Bangkok leg

MANILA, Philippines -  Proving their worth as the team with the lowest handicap in the field, Alta Vista partners Dennis Canoy and Masahisa Kawakami fired an eight-under-par 64 in the final round to crown themselves the overall champions in the international leg of the Sta. Lucia Golf Tour in Bangkok, Thailand recently.

Canoy and Kawakami, carrying an average handicap of 6.5 and two three shots back after the first round, tamed the flat The Vintage Golf Club course in Central Bangkok with eight birdies, five of them in the back nine, playing the scramble format that more than made up for their struggling start  of 73 the previous day at the Lam Luk Ka Country Club course.

With a 137 total, Canoy and Kawakami outduelled first round leaders Jufil Sato and Norberto Badenas of Royale Tagaytay in their battle for the top plum. Sato and Badenas, surging ahead with a 70 on Thursday, combined for a respectable 69 but it was not enough to give them the overall crown, settling for the Division 1 trophy.

Sato and Badenas finished with a 139 total beating the Summit Point tandem of Raul Montealto-Alan Alegre who matched the 64 of the eventual overall winners and came all the way from near bottom to secure runner-up honors in the tournament organized by real estate giant Sta. Lucia Realty for members of clubs operating under its banner.

The friendly character of the course allowed for a very interesting final day as two other teams followed Canoy and Kawakami in coming from behind to emerge as group winners.

Munding del Rosario and Marthy Fernando of Eagle Ridge improved their first round output of 81 by 13 strokes with their 68 ushering them to a four-stroke victory in Division 3 while Mayolito Pillerin and Fernando Ugdoracion delivered the first win for Rancho Palos Verdes this season with an even bigger turnaround, a 71 at Vintage from an 85 at Lam Luk Ka, to rule Division 4.

Lee Tong-hwa and Lee Chung-hyo of Eagle Ride held off their rivals to top Group 2, taking a one-shot win over Marvin and Nestor Mendoza with a closing 70 for 145. The Mendozas narrowly missed forging a tie when they scored a 66 for a 146 total.

Winners received their trophies and prizes from Exequiel Robles, president and CEO of Sta. Lucia Realty, who planed in to join festivities for the unique series that assembles members of Sta. Lucia-operated clubs Eagle Ridge, Orchard, Alta Vista, Lakewood, Beverly Place, Caliraya Springs, Rancho Palos Verdes, Summit Point and Royale Tagaytay.

The series which had its first two legs at Summit Point and Lakewood concludes this October with Alta Vista hosting the final stop on Oct. 10-13.

A two-shot swing on the 17th hole proved decisive for Canoy and Kawakami as they made their ninth and final birdie against a bogey by Sato and Badenas. Sato and his partner were still up by two at the turn only to bear the brunt of a a barrage of back nine birdies by the Cebuanos.